


Changing Seasons

by Skyelara



Category: Sonic X, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Between Seasons/Series, Drunken Kissing, F/M, Friends to Lovers, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Valentine's Day, White Day
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2020-10-06 15:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20509031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyelara/pseuds/Skyelara
Summary: There could be many different reasons as to why he had just kissed Amy Rose: he was drunk, it was the end of the year and he needed someone to kiss at midnight, or he loved her. That one simple kiss changed everything he thought he knew about their relationship.





	1. Winter

January 1st, midnight.

There could be many different reasons as to why he had just kissed Amy Rose: he was drunk, it was the end of the year and he needed someone to kiss at midnight, or he loved her. Sonic was leaning towards the first one. Why else would he lock lips with the rosy hedgehog that he had been running away from for all of these years?

One minute they had been conversing and reminiscing about the past year, and the next he had leaned over and planted his lips upon hers. Really, he had no idea what the heck was wrong with him. Obviously he had way too many drinks that night because he couldn't stop staring at her succulent, rosy, plump lips as she was talking to him. Something had stirred inside of him, like a fire deep within, warming him in places he didn't even know existed. His body burned with a thirst that could not be quenched. The more he stared at her lips, the more the thirst grew until he finally cracked. He had drawn her body close to his, bent his head down, and captured her lips with his, like an animal would with its prey.

To his surprise, the thirst only grew worse with the simple kiss. The fire raged throughout his body wildly as he deepened the kiss, his fingers roaming her backside. His mind was in a fog and all he knew was that he wanted her. He had never experienced intense feelings like this before. He felt like he was going to explode. A slap to his face quickly brought him back to his senses.

He stumbled back, rubbing his throbbing skin as he stared at the pink beauty that had somehow suddenly caught his attention. She stood there, looking like a doe caught in headlights. Her jade eyes were wide with what he thought might be shock and maybe a little bit of fear. Her cheeks were painted with splotches of pink and red. Tentatively, her shaky hand came up and touched her lips. She let out a little squeak, the blush spreading throughout her face.

"You…you just…kissed me?" she sputtered, eyes looking around wildly as if to check if anyone else had seen them kiss. "Oh my goodness, you just kissed me!"

Sonic scratched the back of his head, thinking about the implications of what she just said. "I 'spose so."

Amy wrinkled her nose, smelling the alcohol upon his breath. "Sonic, are you drunk?" She went from being stunned to looking positively embarrassed and livid.

"I've had a couple of drinks," he admitted.

"Is that why you kissed me?" the pink hedgehog asked, stabbing a finger at his chest. "I finally get my hopes up and it's because you're drunk?"

Sonic opened his mouth and then closed it, thinking it would be better to not saying anything at all. He honestly had no idea why he had just kissed her like he did. Something had overcome him and had taken control over his body. He hated to admit it, but he liked the kiss very much. He was blaming it on the alcohol.

"Well?"

Amy's voice brought him back to the scene at hand. She was standing there in front of him, hands upon her hips, her foot tapping on the floor as she awaited his answer impatiently. Typical Amy Rose.

"I…uh…well, you see…" When it came to this particular girl and her feelings about him, there was only one response he was comfortable with.

He ran away.

He could faintly hear her call after him in a raised voice, but he kept on running. He had no idea where he was running to, but he had to get away from her and this feeling that was lingering inside of him. Sonic felt guilty for leaving her like he did in the days when they were younger, but old habits die hard. This feeling, though, was new. He was terrified that this had nothing to do with the alcohol.

One thing was for certain; it was going to be extremely awkward the next time he had to face her.

February 14th, 7:35 p.m.

To Sonic's relief, Amy had acted like the whole New Year incident had never happened. He was sure that she was still upset with him for the drunken kiss, but he tried his best not to think about that little incident. Every once in a while, he caught her staring at him with a pained expression in her eyes, but he tried his best to shrug it off. Those looks only made him want to go over and make her feel better, to take her in his arms and sweep her off her….

Holy shit, these thoughts need to stop! Sonic shook his head as if to rid himself of the deluded daydreams. He was starting to wonder if he was having feelings for Amy Rose, as absurd as it sounded. It had been over a month and those emotions from that night still lingered deep inside of him. At times they were annoying. At others, they raged up like a tsunami, threatening to engulf his whole entire being. He did his best to shove the intense feelings away, but there were moments when all he wanted to do was kiss her again.

Of course, he never did. He was Sonic the Hedgehog. He was a free spirit that could never be tied down by someone like Amy Rose. That didn't stop him from thinking about it from time to time, though. Sometimes he pictured what it would be like to go on dates with her or just sit at her house by the fire, holding hands….

Oh dear lord, he was seriously losing his mind!

At least he hadn't seen the pink beauty today. He had half expected her to come knocking at his door bright and early in the morning, demanding that he take her on a date for Valentine's Day. He was surprised that she hadn't shown up at least once, though. He frowned and then told himself that it was a good thing. He needed a day to himself.

Suddenly, there was a soft and hesitant knock on his door. Sonic peaked over from where he sat on his couch, seeing a shade of pink peeking through the window in the door. He sighed inwardly, cursing his luck. "Speak of the devil…."

He got up and made his way to the door, swinging it open. Amy stood there, looking positively anxious as she hopped from one foot to the other. The first thought that ran through his head was that she looked adorable and absolutely beautiful. He chastised himself for thinking such things.

She wore a knitted red hat that covered her hair. A few curls of pink peaked out at the bottom of the hat. She had on a deep red pea coat over what he deduced was a black skirt. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, or maybe flushed at the sight of him. She was holding a small package in her hands, possibly something she had made for him for Valentine's Day. She sent him a shy, warm smile that made him want to melt.

He suddenly felt very hot. He tugged at the scarf that she had made for him some time ago as he invited her inside of his house. She bowed her head in thanks and walked in. He shut the door behind him and faced her, wishing he could run far away.

"Um…what's up?" he asked, cursing himself for sounding so much like an idiot and then chiding himself for even caring what he sounded like.

"Oh, you know, the usual," she said in a voice that sounded very unlike her. It was quiet, timid, and withdrawn. She chewed on her lip slightly, refusing to make eye contact with him. Instead she diverted her attention to the interior of his house. "I haven't been to your place in a while. It looks nice. Did you redecorate?"

"No."

She let out a shaky laugh. "Oh, of course you didn't. What was I thinking? You're hardly ever in your home, anyway." She readjusted her hat and then smoothed down the fabric of her coat.

Sonic raised an eyebrow, staring at her. "You feelin' alright, Ames?"

Her head bobbed up and down, still avoiding his gaze. "Yeah. I'm great!"

Something, once again, stirred within him. This time, it was softer, less intense. With an overpowering desire that took over, he reached out his gloved hand, touching her chin. Amy froze instantly, but he didn't let that deter him. He gently lifted her face so they were staring at each other, eye level. His thumb, having a mind of its own, stroked up from her chin to her cheek. In turn, her cheeks warmed underneath him as she blushed, eyes never leaving his.

With a jolt, he pulled his hand back as if it were on fire. He broke the eye contact, staring at his thumb in shock. He had not just caressed Amy's cheek. He realized that she was watching his actions carefully, so he let his arm fall back to his side as if nothing had happened.

Nothing, he told himself, had happened.

Amy abruptly shoved the package into his chest, letting go of it so quickly he had to use his reflexes to catch it before it fell to the ground. "Here," she said. "Happy Valentine's day." She paused as if she were contemplating doing something else, but seemed to think better of it. She made her way around him towards the door.

"Wait!" Sonic called out, suddenly not wanting her to leave. He clamped his mouth shut, biting down on his tongue so he wouldn't say anything he would regret.

She did as he said, stopping in front of the door. She turned her head back towards him, eyes wide with various emotions. Her hand was in a fist in front of her mouth, which reminded him of the time they first met when she was younger. She always was in that position, looking like a little lost deer.

He wondered why she was looking like that right now.

Sonic opened his mouth, but the words got stuck. He had an overwhelming compulsion to say words he knew should never leave his lips. At last, after moments of a silent battle in his mind, he managed to mutter a small thank you. At this, her eyes softened. Her fist dropped so he could see a small smile before she turned around and left him.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Sonic let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. He returned his attention to the package in his hands. Delicately, he opened it and stopped. Inside were seven small sized chocolate pieces that were shaped in emerald form, all colored to represent the seven chaos emeralds. There was even a larger piece that replicated the master emerald.

He was confused, to say the least. Amy was acting strange and she hadn't done something romantic like she was known to do, like decorated hearts. This, he thought to himself, suits me a lot better.

He wondered if this was what she did when she gave Valentines gifts to their friends. He felt his heart drop at that thought, and shook his head. He was being absolutely ridiculous for caring about this. After all, they were just friends. She probably just wanted to forget about the whole New Year's incident and move on.

He walked over to the kitchen table and put the package down. He took one last glance at the chocolates, wondering when Amy had begun to make more of an attempt to learn more about him.

Sonic decided he wanted to learn more about her as well.

March 14th, 4:00 p.m.

He couldn't believe he was doing this for her. Well, he assumed it was what he was supposed to do since she got him a gift last month, but he had found himself wanting to get her something. He desired to give her a gift that meant something to her, just as she had done with him. He wanted to see that smile of hers that she reserved only for him to see.

When he had confided in Tails about this, Tails had responded that he thought Sonic was in love. The hedgehog, on the other hand, did not think so. In fact, he thought that he was going positively insane.

Regardless, he had finally reached a decision on what to get her, after some sound advice from Tails. The little fox was getting some white lilies for Cream, since she loved flowers so much. He had thought for some time about what Amy loved, besides him. It was a lot harder than he imagined it was going to be.

With shaky hands, he reached out and knocked on her door. Although the chilly wind swept through his body, he felt unreasonably hot. It seemed like he had been standing there for hours before she finally opened her door, looking surprised to see him there.

"Sonic," she breathed, staring up at him with dazzling green emeralds. For a moment, he thought her eyes rivaled that of the master emerald, but it went as quickly as it came.

"Can I come in?"

It looked as if she nearly jumped out of her skin at his question. "Of course! Where are my manners? I'm so sorry, come in!" She backed away so he had room to walk. He bowed his head in thanks, strolling into her house.

"It looks nice. Did you redecorate?" he teased, grinning at her.

She flushed in return, but smiled. "No," she stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie."

He laughed at this. "Meanie? Is that anyway to treat anyone who brought you a gift?"

Instantly, her smile vanished. That doe eyed look she wore lately returned. Her mouth made the shape of an 'O'. Finally, she spoke. "You bought me a gift?" Her cheeks turned bright red. She brought her hands up to her face as if to cover the blush, and moved her head to one side and then the other, as if doing a silent celebration dance.

She was so freaking adorable.

Sonic felt something else he had never experienced before. A feeling of shyness and terror overcame him. Multiple thoughts raced through his head. What if she didn't like it? What if she rejected the gift? Or worse, what if she laughed at him?

Sonic figured he should probably give her the gift before he lost his nerve. "Here," he said, shoving the gift at her, like she had done for him a month ago.

"For me?" she asked, staring at the gift. She touched the package tenderly, as if she were afraid it was going to disappear at any moment. Hesitantly, she opened the container. She reached her hand inside, and pulled out a pure white silk ribbon. He watched as she felt the material in her hands. "It's beautiful," she said in a whisper, still staring at her present.

Without asking, Sonic took off her red hairband, his fingers brushing her forehead accidentally. The contact sent a jolt through him and he wasn't so sure if he trusted himself. Still, he continued on. He put her hairband down on a nearby table and took the ribbon from her hand with her permission. Wordlessly, staring into her eyes, he tied the ribbon in place of the hairband. Amy observed him the entire time, looking as if she were in a trance.

Satisfied with his work, he let his hands linger in her hair for a moment before pulling away. They continued to stare at each other before Amy murmured a quiet thanks. He barely heard it from the pounding of his heart in his ears. Hunger crept through his body like a lurking predator, reading to pounce. He could feel his face being drawn towards hers. There was no denying it. He wanted to kiss her. This time, it was not because he was drunk.

That revelation terrified him.

Sonic was suddenly aware of how close he was to her body. Fire erupted within him, threatening to take control of his body. He needed to stop, but it was so hard to make his body listen to his screaming mind. At the last moment, Sonic turned his head away from hers.

He was unnerved, to say the very least. "I...I should get going."

Her lips turned down in a small frown. "All right."

The blue blur ran out of her house without another word, hoping that his gift would make up for his rude exit. She was probably used to it by now. That, instead of comforting him, made him feel guilty. He knew before he saw her again, he needed to figure out what was happening to him, and soon.


	2. Spring

April 23rd, 1:30 p.m.

Sonic hadn't expected to see her there, sitting in his usual spot where he did his best thinking. Truth be told, he wasn't quite ready to face her yet. He had done a good job of avoiding her so far since March, thanks to Egghead. Part of him felt bad that he was ignoring her, but he just couldn't chance it. He hadn't figured out his feelings for the pink beauty yet and didn't want to do anything he'd regret later.

He contemplated running and going someplace else before she noticed him. She was hunched over in the long grass that tickled her legs. Her bare arms were hugging her body as she rocked back and forth. Her shoulders were shaking and he noticed tears for the first time.

Shit.

He knew she was probably crying because of him. Didn't he always end up making her cry? Why did she even love him if all he did was hurt her? Regardless of his wacked up emotions, he knew he had to make the situation better. He couldn't keep running away from it all, hurting her in the processes. It wasn't her fault he was acting like this. She didn't deserve it.

He picked some of the daisies nearby, hoping it would be enough to make her smile. Once he was ready, he ambled over towards her sitting form. If she noticed him, she paid no attention.

"Mind if I join ya?"

Amy lifted her head up, staring at him with swollen eyes. "What?" her voice sounded raspy from all the crying she had been doing.

He held out the flowers towards her, suddenly feeling awkward. "Here."

She gaped at him as if he was crazy, and then a laugh bubbled out of her mouth. "Are you serious?" He nodded, taken aback. Her laughter stopped abruptly. "What do you take me for, Sonic the Hedgehog? Do you honestly think you can waltz on over here with flowers and expect everything to be better?"

He felt as if he had been physically slapped by her words. "It's my way of apologizing."

"Well," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I don't accept."

"What?"

"I. Don't. Accept."

Sonic the Hedgehog was known for never giving up, and he wasn't going to start now. He dropped the flowers, sat down next her, and placed his hands behind his head. Even though she didn't accept right now didn't mean that she wouldn't in the future. He wasn't about to leave her alone in this state of misery. Besides, he liked a challenge.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked, wiping the tears off of her cheek roughly. "Did I not make it clear? I don't want you here."

"I don't believe that for a second," he said, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"And why not?"

"Because you're the type of person who wants to be comforted when upset. Besides, how can I leave you when you're crying?"

"I'm not a charity case, Sonic!"

"I never said you were." He opened ones of his emerald eyes, looking up at her. "But I'm the one who made you cry, right? If I did that, I should at least have the decency to keep you company until you feel better."

She tore her gaze away from him. "Such a sudden change for someone who ignored me for a whole month," she muttered under her breath. She paused, her tone of voice changing to a softer one. "Why did you ignore me?"

Sonic gave a small shrug in response, not wanting to talk about it just yet.

Amy persisted. "Did I do something wrong? You left so quickly that day…did I say something wrong? Did I give you the wrong impression with the chocolates? Did you feel obligated to give me the ribbon?"

He watched as she touched his gift that was holding her hair back. He couldn't believe that, even in a state of anger, she was wearing it. "Did you like it that much?" he blurted without thinking. He clamped his mouth shut as soon as the words came out, embarrassed.

Her eyes surveyed him carefully, stringing her words out slowly, "Yes, of course I do. It's beautiful."

Sonic knew sooner or later she was going to get back on track and ask him more questions. He knew that, while he was not ready to talk about it yet, he had to give her a sufficient answer. He stared at her with a serious face. "Ames, I'm not good with this kind of stuff, you know."

Amy immediately diverted her gaze, taking this moment to wipe a stray tear from her eye. Sonic wasn't having any of that. "Sonic, please—"

He cut her off, "Jeez, Ames, I didn't think I was as ugly as Egghead," he joked, trying to get her to lighten up. "I promise looking at me won't turn you to stone or anything."

A genuine laugh bubbled out of her lips. "You're a bit easier on the eyes than Eggman," she smiled at him. "Hope that doesn't inflate your already inflated ego."

He pretended to get struck in the heart and fell backwards. "Ouch!" he cried out. "That hurts!"

"Shut up, Sonic."

He grinned at her and chuckled. "But it got you to smile and laugh!"

"You're the one who made me cry in the first place," she reminded him. A soft smile graced her lips. "But thank you for trying to cheer me up and make it better."

He shrugged. "No problem. But, Ames," he paused, unsure whether or not to keep going.

She titled her head to the side in question, "Yeah?"

"I really am sorry for ignoring you," he said, trying his best to sound sincere. "I've just had a lot on my mind and need to figure some things out. You didn't do anything wrong, I promise."

"What's on your mind? Was it the kiss?"

He closed his eyes, enjoying the nice spring breeze. Her perfume caught upon the wind and tickled his nose. It was a strange mixture of vanilla and spice, one that made his head spin. He sighed, trying to enjoy the moment and ignore the question at hand. Amy seemed to notice that he was done talking for the time being, so she too sat there quietly.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked after minutes flew by.

She seemed startled by his sudden question. "Um," she paused, thinking for a moment. "Green."

He couldn't help it; he laughed.

She wrinkled her nose at him. "What's so funny, mister?"

"Nothing," he assured her, still chuckling. "It's just…I always assumed it would be, well, pink!"

"Well," she shot back, "is your favorite color blue?"

"Good point. Why green?"

Amy shrugged and a small blush crept upon her cheeks. "No reason."

The hedgehog eyed her carefully. "Come on, there has to be a reason!" Amy mumbled something softly so Sonic had to lean towards her to hear it. "What was that?"

"Your eyes," she confessed, looking right at him. "I like the color of your eyes. It reminds me of spring, which is my favorite season."

He had no idea what to say to that response. He felt something warm creep up his neck, so he turned away quickly hoping she wouldn't notice. His legs began to twitch, desperately wanting to run away from this now awkward situation. Willing them to stop, he snuck a glance at his female companion. She was still watching him intently.

What the hell was he supposed to say now?

He cleared his throat. "Me too."

"Excuse me?"

"Green…it's my favorite color too."

"All this time I thought it was red," she let out a laugh and shook her head. "All this time…"

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you always wear red?"

An amused smile graced her lips. "Part of the reason. The other part is because not much looks good with pink!"

He let out a low chuckle. "Very true. You could only wear green during Christmas!" Amy shoved him and he laughed even harder.

"Oh shut up, Sonic! At least I'm not the color of the ocean."

"At least I'm not pink like cotton candy!"

"Blue is a cotton candy color too!"

They bantered back and forth for a while, and all Sonic could think was how happy he was that things were back to normal. They were friends and he was finally getting to know her after all of these years.

Green…who knew?

May 19th, 6:15 p.m.

Sonic felt extremely groggy when he woke up, to say the very least. The room around him was blurry and the bright lights made him want to shut his eyes, lest he get a headache. He blinked rapidly, willing his vision to return to normal.

He heard a dim beeping in the background, though he could not place what it was. Was it an alarm clock maybe? Was he at Tails house? No, that did not make sense. Something in his gut told him that he was somewhere important, but not Tails' workshop.

Beep. Beep. Beep. The beeps synchronized to the rhythm of his steady heart beating. They almost sounded like…

Robots! He had been fighting Eggman's robots! He must have been hit hard and fell unconscious. At that revelation, he tried sitting up in bed only to tumble back down. His whole body seared in a pain he had not known before. Something near his stomach felt like it was going to rip and tear open if he tried any sort of movement. It was then that he noticed that needles were stuck in his arm with tubes leading out into machines. When he looked over his body he could see purple bruises forming under his skin. Worst of all was his head; it felt like Egghead was drilling into his skull.

There was only thing for certain; this was not where he had been fighting Eggman.

What the heck had happened? Had he lost to that oversized egg? No, that seemed absurd. He never lost to that ridiculous Robotnik. For the life of him he could not remember what had happened between fighting Eggman's robots to being in a hospital.

It was like those tubes were pumping adrenaline through his veins. Images and voices swarmed through his mind, painting a picture of a cloudy timeline. Robots. His friends. Eggman's high cackle. The low hum of an airplane engine. Shouting. Pain. Darkness.

He had to get out of here!

Slowly this time, he propped himself up in bed. The dull throbbing in his gut seared with a full on attack of pain. Looking down, he noticed stitches delicately holding the skin together. There was dry blood caked around the area. Any more sudden movement would surely rip the suture. He grunted both in discomfort and annoyance. His feet were already twitching with movement. Sonic the Hedgehog could not stay in one place for very long, let alone lay in a hospital bed for a couple of days.

Noises outside his door interrupted his impending escape. He stopped his movement, trying to make out what the voices were saying. He deduced there was more than one person talking, and from the sound of it, the voices were female. The one female voice, which was light and girly, quickly rose in a heated pitch. The other female had a deeper, more mature tone that was currently scolding the younger girl. A third voice, that of a younger boy, chipped in. From the sound of it, he was trying to calm down the younger girl.

"Can it, Tails!" the younger girl screeched. Her attention turned back to the elder lady, which Sonic assumed was the nurse taking care of him. "I don't care that it's not visiting hours. You will let me and my friend in to see Sonic."

"Amy," he heard Tails' timid voice, "please calm down. She's just doing her job."

"I don't care about what her job is. We are Sonic's friends and we have a right to see him, visiting hours or no visiting hours."

"Ms. Rose, he's recovering at the moment. I cannot allow you in to see him."

"And I cannot allow you to not let me in to see him. I have rights, you know!"

The nurse seethed, "He has rights too!"

A chuckle rose out of Sonic's mouth as he listened to their argument. There was no way that nurse was going to win. Amy was the most stubborn person he knew; she was not going down without a fight. He knew that from experience. His head hurt just thinking about all the times she had walloped him with that hammer of hers.

Without warning, the door swung open. "Look for yourself. He's sleeping peacefully."

"Um, hi," Sonic grinned with a small wave. The nurse looked as if she were going to kill him while Amy looked like she wanted to kiss him. Tails peeked around the door, smiling sheepishly.

The nurse pressed her finger tips to her temple. "Mr. Hedgehog," Sonic shuddered at the title she gave him, "you have…guests during non-visiting hours."

"Well, I wouldn't want to kick them out if they came all the way to see me," he said with some amusement.

The nurse gave him a curt nod and then let out an overly dramatic sigh, sending a pointed look at a smug Amy. "You have a couple of minutes and then we need to check him over again."

"Thank you," Tails said with a grateful smile before the nurse walked out of the room.

Amy ran over to Sonic's bed, checking him over with wide green eyes. "How are you feeling? Are you all right? I'm so glad you're okay!" her voice was breathless as she spoke. It was like she was afraid that this wasn't real, that he wasn't real.

She amazed him, really. When she wanted something or was fighting for the people she cared about, she was the most frightening being on Mobius. But when it came to someone she loved being hurt, she was tender and considerate.

"I got a killer headache," he rubbed his head and then let out a low laugh. "It's like you clobbered me in the head with your hammer." Her lower lip wobbled and Tails gave him a pointed look. "Not that you did, of course," he stammered, alarmed by her reaction to his joke. "Right?"

Amy shook her head, her pink quills sashaying around her. "No, I didn't."

"Sonic," Tails approached the bed, standing next to the pink hedgehog. "Do you remember what happened?"

The blue blur shrugged. "Does it matter? As long as Egghead got defeated that's all I care about." He did not miss the exchange of glances between his two friends. "What?"

"Well," the fox rubbed the back of his head, suddenly looking embarrassed, "we were holding his robots off pretty well, but you were taking a lot of damage."

"Go on," Sonic said, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"One of Eggman's robots got you in the stomach. You were bleeding pretty badly."

Sonic nodded in response. It would explain the stitches.

"I tried to tell you to pull back, that Knuckles and I could handle it so that Amy could fix you up in the meantime. You said that you were fine and that you could handle yourself."

Sonic gave Tails a toothy grin. That sounded like him. "And I can." He paused and then added, "But it's good to have you guys there fighting alongside me and looking out for me. What happened after that?"

"We started winning again thanks to everyone's persistence. Eggman, the coward," Tails spat in disgust, "decided to pull one of his tricks at the end of battle to try to turn the tables."

"What did he do?"

"He pulled a gun on Amy."

The cobalt hedgehog's blood boiled and he barely registered the accelerating sound of beeps on the machine. His legs jerked, his hands clenched, and the only thought that entered his mind was murdering that oversized egg for even threatening to hurt his girl.

Had he not been so livid, he would have hit his head against the wall for thinking that Amy was "his girl".

Amy placed her hand on his, eyes pleading for him to calm down. "I'm fine, Sonic, really."

"Did he hurt you?"

She flinched at the malice in his voice. "No. He didn't hurt me."

A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he ran his hand through his quills. He had never been so thankful in his life. The thought entered his mind that he wouldn't know what to if something happened to her, but he tried his best to dismiss it. He convinced himself that he would have felt the same way if it had happened to any of his other friends. Besides, she was fine and there was nothing to worry about for the moment.

"Good. What happened next?" Sonic asked.

"His robot got you while you were distracted. You got hit over the head…you kind of crumbled to the ground like one of my old ragdolls," the pink hedgehog whispered, hands now playing with the bland sheets on his hospital bed. "I had never been so scared in my life. You looked so lifeless lying there on the ground in front of me. I think even Eggman knew he had gone too far because all of the sudden his body stiffened when he saw you."

He frowned as he listened to her tell the story with a quivering voice. He couldn't help it; he grabbed her hand and stroked it with his thumb. "I'm okay, Ames. See? Can you feel my hand touching yours?"

She sucked on her lip, nodding, looking like she was on the brink of tears. "Yeah…but…."

He shook his head vigorously. "Nope, no buts missy. I'm all right so you can't be sad anymore, okay? Eggman can't keep me down for long. Anyone who can keep Sonic the Hedgehog down deserves a medal or trophy."

She let out a little hiccup giggle at this.

"And if Egghead can't keep me down for long," Sonic continued with a smirk, "neither can some stinkin' hospital."

"It was my fault though," she said with a small whimper. "I'm the reason you got hurt so badly."

Sonic reached out and wiped a stray tear off of her cheek, which was quickly replaced by another one. "I can't keep up if you keep crying like that," he said with a soft smile. The next thing he knew, he almost fell over from her hugging him and sobbing into his shoulder. He let out a small "Oof!" as she did so, wincing a bit in pain. He looked away, patting her back awkwardly. He never knew what to do in these situations.

Tails snickered silently and Sonic sent him the nastiest look he could muster, to which Tails blew silent kisses in the air. As much as he loved his little buddy, he wanted to kill him at that moment.

"So, what happened after I was knocked out?" Tails pointed to Amy in reply and Sonic let out an "Ooh" in response. He had watched Amy go psycho on Eggman's ass in the past for hurting him, he wasn't the least bit surprised that she had done it again. In fact, he was a bit proud of her for taking control and beating the crazed Robotnik. That proud feeling died down, intertwining with a small twinge of embarrassment. He had failed to protect her for the first time. What did that say about his capabilities?

The hedgehog glanced down at the girl in his arms. His lips pulled down in thought. What happened today was precisely the reason why he thought nothing could ever escalate between Amy and him. But, regardless, Eggman still used her as bait. Was it because of her feelings toward him? Did Eggman think that he had feelings toward the pink beauty as well? Did he?

He leaned his head against hers and stared at Tails. This was getting more and more complicated and he was more and more confused with each passing second. He would have to make a choice sooner or later. Was Amy Rose just a friend? Could they become something more? Did he want to be something more? Was it worth what could happen to her in the future because of him being a hero?

Unfortunately, he still didn't have the answer.

June 23rd, 7:43 p.m.

Only Sonic the Hedgehog would be early to his own surprise party.

He had been told by Amy to be at her house at precisely 7:45 p.m. because she apparently had something that she wanted to discuss with him. He had shown up at her house at around 7:40, pacing outside for a good three minutes because he was panicking about what she wanted to talk about. Did she want to discuss the drunken kiss? Did she want to discuss the battle last month for the millionth time? Did she-he gulped-want to discuss their relationship?

Honestly, he had no idea what their relationship was anymore. Tails was on his case about their hug in the hospital and how he wiped tears from her cheeks. Wouldn't that be something a boyfriend would do, perhaps? Why, no, Tails, it was something a good friend would do for another friend who was obviously upset.

At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

Finally, the fastest hero on Mobius mustered the courage to face the imminent conversation. With one gloved hand, he knocked on the door. He could hear feverish whispering behind Amy's front door. He raised an eyebrow, puzzled, wondering what other people could be doing at her house when she wanted to have a private talk with him.

"Amy?" he called after a moment, wondering why she hadn't come to let him in yet.

"Just a minute," he heard her call from the other side, giggling.

He felt all the color fade from his face as his heart dropped and then lodged itself in his throat. Why was she giggling? Why did she sound so happy? Don't tell me that I've accepted a date without even realizing it! Sonic groaned, hitting his head against the door.

"Come in," Amy called from inside, "the door is open."

Hesitantly, Sonic touched her doorknob and turned it. He was not expecting the sight before him as he opened the door. "Surprise!" all of his friends shouted as they jumped out from various hiding places.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed with a short laugh. "What's this for? It's not even my birthday."

All of his friends exchanged looks. "Sonic," Tails said with an amused smile, "it is your birthday."

The hedgehog grinned sheepishly in response, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, at least my friends can remember my own birthday. Thanks everyone. Let's get this party started!" He let out a whoop and fist pumped into the air.

After about an hour or two, Amy strolled up next to him and smiled from ear to ear. "Can I steal you for a minute? Before everyone gives you their presents?"

Sonic felt his earlier dread return. He fought the instinct to run and tried to act casual. "Sure thing, Ames."

She beamed, eyes twinkling like stars up in the night sky. "Great! Come here," she said as she grabbed his hand, leading him past all of his conversing friends and into her room. She let go of his hand to go rummaging underneath her full size bed.

He rubbed his nose, feeling more uncomfortable by the second. "You know, Ames, I don't really think now is the right time to talk like you wanted…"

The rosy hedgehog peeked up and let out a loud laugh. "Sonic, I used that as an excuse to get you to come over. I don't really need to talk to you right now."

He wore a confused expression upon his face. "Then why did you bring me in here?"

She heaved a medium sized package from under her bed and placed it in his hands. "To give you your gift, of course."

Sonic eyed the wrapped package carefully. It was decorated in green and blue wrapping paper that said "Happy Birthday!" all over in black cursive lettering. There was a big red bow on top in the corner with a small name tag that stated his name in delicate loopy handwriting. Underneath said Amy's name with a heart next to it. His palms began to moisten as he stared at the giant red heart. "Why couldn't you give it to me in front of everyone else when they give their gifts in a couple of minutes?" He was sure he already knew her answer.

He watched as splotches of dark pink spread from her neck to her cheeks. "I wanted to give it to you in private."

If Sonic hadn't wanted to run before he sure did now. He hopped from one foot to the other, hoping that it would be enough to satisfy the itch. "Should I open it?" It was a dumb question, he knew, but he was stalling. She rolled her eyes and nodded in response. He ripped the wrapping paper off swiftly, wanting to get it over with as fast as he could. When the paper was completely off, he stopped in his tracks.

"What is this?" he asked in disbelief, staring at the book in front of him labeled "Memories".

Shyly, she ambled up next to him and placed her hand on the cover. "It's a scrapbook I made for you. So even if you travel around the world, you still have something to remember us by."

"I don't need photos to remember you guys, though."

He immediately wished he could have taken back those words as he watched the excitement drain out of her face. Her shoulders drooped, her smile faded, and her lips were parted. "Oh," she said, voice broken, "I guess I picked the wrong gift to give you then."

"No, Ames, I didn't mean it that way," he said, trying to reassure her. "I love it. I really do."

"Don't you dare lie to me, Sonic the Hedgehog," she said with narrowed eyes. "Last time I checked, if someone gave you a gift you should be thankful for it."

"And I am thankful, Ames."

"I worked really hard on it," she continued on like he hadn't said anything, pacing around her room. He tried to reach out for her, but she batted his hand away, stopping to stare at him with incredulous eyes. "And you have the nerve to tell me you don't need what I worked hard on." Then, she shook her head. "Stupid! I'm so stupid! You normally don't even carry anything when you run or travel anyway. What was I thinking? This is a stupid gift."

This had to be one of the few times that Sonic was truly speechless. He had never seen Amy like this before and he knew it was his fault. Something told him that it wasn't just his reaction to the gift that caused this response. He knew that he had to figure out what was bothering her, fix it, and fast. With his unoccupied hand, he grabbed her shoulder. She stopped pacing, staring up at him with liquid green eyes.

"Show it to me," he said in the softest voice he could muster. "I want to see what you worked so hard on."

"But—"

"Please, Ames."

The rose colored hedgehog sucked in a deep breath before sitting down on her burgundy sheets. Sonic took a seat next to her, sinking lightly into the mattress and bumping shoulders with her by accident. He placed the scrapbook so that part of it rested on his right leg and the rest on her left leg.

"Show me," he repeated.

Amy nodded as the corners of her lips lifted in a smile. She lifted the soft green cover, which reminded him of the color of shadowed leaves. The first page had a big Happy Birthday in the middle of the page, written in Amy's neat loopy handwriting. All around, like a spider web, were little messages written from all of his friends, wishing Sonic a happy twentieth birthday. The hedgehog stole a quick glance at Amy, who was looking at him apprehensively.

"I got everyone to sign it before you came," she explained, fingering the corner of the paper.

"Thanks, Ames," he said, bumping her shoulder lightly. "I mean it."

Her cheeks colored a bit, but she was beaming again as she flipped to the next page. There were pictures scattered about, from when they were little ranging to their older selves. There was a picture of Tails with wide rimmed glasses when he was around five years old, hiding behind his two tails. There was one of Amy after she had first joined Sonic's group, hugging him tightly. Her hair was spiked up, like his, and she wore her green and orange attire. You could tell from the look on his face he was unsure of what to do in her embrace and was entirely uncomfortable.

Nothing had changed, really, he mused to himself.

Knuckles, a couple of pages in, had joined the group. He was sitting cross legged in front of the Master Emerald shrine, wearing something in between a fedora and a cowboy hat. The next picture of him he had ditched the hat, wearing a scowl as Sonic wrapped his arm around his neck, grinning. There was another with an older looking Tails, without the glasses, working on the Tornado. Sonic laughed as he saw a picture of Rouge kissing Knuckles' cheek and Knuckles looking flabbergasted. Shadow was in there with his arms crossed, a permanent glare etched on his face as Amy hugged him, smiling cheerfully. Lastly, there was an entire group picture taken on New Year's before the ball dropped, before his troubles with Amy began. Next to the group picture, though, was one of both him and Amy. Sonic had his arm wrapped around her, grinning. Amy was giggling, both arms around him. Happiness touched her eyes.

Sonic touched the image and then stared at Amy. "I forgot about this picture."

"Tails took it," she said absentmindedly, "on the last day of summer last year, right before my birthday."

He nodded in reply, taking the scrapbook and placing it next to him on her bed. "Thank you."

Warmth touched his arm as her body leaned into his, bright green eyes staring up at him. "You like it?"

"Yeah. I do."

She smiled lightly. "I'm glad." It came out as a small whisper, her breath tickling his chin.

The blue blur stood up quickly, aware of how close her face was to his. His heart hammered in his chest; he could hear it pounding in his ears. "We should, um, get back to the party before the others think something's up."

Amy stood up sluggishly, like she didn't want the moment to end, smoothing down her dress with her hands. "What if something was up?" she asked after a moment. "Then what would you do?"

"Amy," he said, trying to hold back a groan. His fingers touched his temples as he exhaled. He knew this conversation would come sooner or later. "Look, you're a good friend and—"

"Oh," she said and shook her head, a frown tugging at her lips. He hated it when she frowned. He preferred it when she smiled, because it brightened everything around her. "Look, Sonic, I get it. You don't have to say anymore. We're just friends."

His heart sank as his lips turned down. "Ames…"

She shook her head and let out an empty laugh. "It's okay, Sonic. You don't have to walk on eggshells. I know we're just friends. I know the kiss at New Year's didn't mean anything." He was dimly aware of her lower lip quivering. He knew she was holding back tears.

Dammit, why did he always end up making her cry?

"Ames," he took a step toward her, but she evaded, making a beeline for the door. "Ames, please wait."

But she didn't, and for once, Sonic was the one left behind.


End file.
